Hundreds of mourners have lined the streets of Perseverance Village, Couva to say goodbye to commercial diver Rishi Nagassar as his funeral takes place today.
The body arrived shortly before 2 pm at his Richmond Street, Couva home following a drive through the community.
The casket was sealed, adorned with flowers and engraved with an angelic personification of Nagassar. A smiling photo of him stood nearby where his wife Vanessa Kussie wept.
Uncle Allan Seepersad who delivered remarks said the family has not slept since Nagassar disappeared in the pipeline on February 25.
Seepersad said for two days he did not bathe as they waited on Paria Fuel Trading Company executives to come to the Pointe-a-Pierre gates to speak to the family.
“Nobody ever canes to that gate and for days nobody from Paria enquired how Vanessa was feeling,” Seepersad recalled.
MP for Couva South Rudranath Indarsingh told murders that Nagassar would be the last to be buried. He said even after all the funerals were completed, the pain will not go away.
He added, “There is a need for justice, transparency and accountability for all the citizens to be known and we will not rest until we get justice.”
Indarsingh added, “These families need closure and support. There are wives, mothers and grandmothers and children who are hurting and they will need support to overcome this tragedy.”
He noted, “We have already smoked out Tiah which led to the collapse of the Committee. I want to send a warning that the Opposition will not relent in our quest for accountability and openness. All those who are prepared to participate in the Commission of Enquiry must not be in any way politically, or financially connected to the PNM or Paria,” Indarsingh said.
Couva North MP Ravi Ratiram also said the families deserved justice.
“Rishi did everything to ensure his family was happy. What took place before, he made a sacrifice to rescue other divers who were in difficulty. We salute him. Rishi you have lived a wonderful life,” he added.
Councillor Ramchand Rajbal Maharaj who also spoke said February 25 will always be remembered as a black day in the history of TT. “The lack of compassion showed to the family leaves a distasteful feeling. We understand that someone can die in the line of duty but not showing compassion was unacceptable. We will stand with the family,” Maharaj said.
A procession is expected to be held from the house to the Carli Bay cemetery for burial. Guardian Media will update this story as information comes to hand. Attending the funeral were Movement for Social Justice David Abdulah, Opposition MPs Barry Padarath and Vandana Mohit.
Reporter: Radhica De Silva
